Paleo Falafel (no beans!)

Ground nuts, seeds and fresh herbs make the perfect texture and flavor in these bean-free, low-carb, and keto falafel balls.

First, I have to say:: I have nothing against beans! I love them… sometimes.

It’s just nice to have options, you know?

A recipe for those days where you’re all like, “I want falafel, but I don’t feel like beans.”

Or, “I feel like eating nuts… but I want falafel too. If only there was a way I could enjoy both at the same time?!”

Or, maybe you’re allergic to beans, avoiding beans, they make you toot and you have a hot date tonight… whatever.

Not to fret, my friends. I come to you with bean-free falafel to save the day.

Because this recipe is paleo, it’s also dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free.

And; because vegans rock just as much as paleo tribes do, I made this recipe vegan, too.

Soaking + pureeing + rolling + dehydrating and voila, you’re snacking on falafel and nuts at the very same time.

Mind blowing.

Don’t have a food dehydrator?

I’ve had this 4-tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator for nearly a decade and it’s still going strong. If I were to do it all over again, though, I would spend the extra $60 and get a 9-tray. So many more possibilities.

Anyways, if you don’t have a food dehydrator, no worries. You can make this paleo recipe in the oven, too.

Then add soaked nut and seed mixture. Pulse mixture until nuts are the size of sesame seeds.

Roll the dough; 2 tablespoons at a time, into balls. Press and rotate as you go to allow the mixture to stick. Repeat with remaining dough, creating 16 balls in total.

Place completed balls on food dehydrator racks. Dehydrate at 110F for 10 hours, rotating halfway through. If you do not have a dehydrator, recipe can be cooked at the lowest temperature your oven will go (180F) for 3 hours, rotating halfway through.

Notes

Nut allergy - if you are allergic to nuts, you could make this recipe with 1 cup of sunflower seeds and 1 cup of pumpkin seeds.Sesame allergy - if you are allergic to sesame, you could replace the sesame seeds with an equal amount of hemp seeds. Do not soak the hemp seeds.Food Dehydrator - if you do not have a food dehydrator, I have included oven instructions in the recipe.

First, you want to make the herb mixture really smooth. This is the component of the recipe that holds everything together!

Once it’s smooth, add the nut & seed mixture to the bowl of your food processor. I have had this 14-cup Cuisinart Food Processor for a little over 3 years and enjoy it. Although my $40 Black & Decker did a comparable job – it died when I tried to make nut butter for the first time but could ace a paleo recipe like this one!

You see the consistency below?

This is what you’re aiming for. The almonds and walnuts are about the size of sesame seeds. You do not want to blend the mixture until it’s smooth… or it won’t taste like falafel.

Consistency is key!

Roll em up, dehydrate (or bake as per instructions in the recipe) and serve on their own, or with a quick and easy sauce.

The sauce I made for the pictures of this recipe was a combination of:: tahini, homemade yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, water and minced garlic.

These paleo falafel are great on top of roasted veggies, as a snack, or crumbled over a salad.

I am with Sarah on the nutritional yeast. Any substitutes or suggestions? I have been reading about candida and am wondering if it is a cause of my adult acne. Tried the betaine acne solution that worked for you Leanne but haven’t seen any results for me. :( Still on a mission though to an acne free life. :)

I am currently on a diet to treat candida and am thrilled to find these! But a couple of questions: Is there another nut/seed I can use in place of the almonds (I’m allergic)? Also, can I leave out the nutritional yeast?

I tried making these this afternoon and I couldn’t get balls to form no matter how hard I pressed. Everything was a crumbly mess. Any suggestions? I ended up spreading it out in a layer on a couple dehydrated trays, kind of like granola. Love the flavor!

I am so impressed with these, Leanne. I mean, you regularly delight me with your inventive alternatives, but you’ve really gone above and beyond your OWN high bar standards! The variations are what really highlight the versatility of this recipe. Beans, nuts, seeds – you’ve got us covered – and I can’t thank you enough!!

Thanks Leanne!
I really appreciate all your recipes but don’t always get around to trying them. I need some sort of planning methodology. Any suggestions?
Will share this with credit to you. Are you a vegan paleo? I know folk trying to have a go in that direction. Where can I find your bio?
Love marey xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Praise

When I was raw vegan, my gut played up severely and I was never full. My moods were erratic, and when I added cooked carbs and beans, my colitis flare-ups were pretty much a daily occurrence. After years of estrogen dominance and PCOS, I’m so pleased with keto now. In addition to that, I got the best news today– I got my period. (It stopped months ago.) You have given me the courage to let my body balance and heal. I stopped the progesterone and testosterone treatments and started keto, and things are starting to happen. I’m only a few weeks in and I feel like this is the missing piece of the puzzle.

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Leanne Vogel’s approach to Keto and overall health is exactly what I’ve been searching for. I’d tried a strict approach to Keto for tweaking body composition after having been Paleo for a few years, but it didn’t work for me. Having had food sensitivities forever, new digestive issues began to emerge due to hormonal changes, so I began carb-ups with success! I’m once again golden in the gym, my hair is staying on my head instead of circling the drain and I’m on my way to regaining control of my digestive health. There’s a ton of information out there, but Leanne’s attention to how WOMEN respond to a Ketogenic lifestyle is not only refreshing, but life-changing.

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I’m a long-time fan of your work. I started keto about a year and a half ago, thanks to your awesome Fat-Fueled plan. I got both the Keto Beginning and Fat-Fueled since I had no idea how to even shift to a high-fat diet. I have a variety of health issues (Lyme’s disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and all the accompanying fun things that those entail, the list is long so I won’t bore you) and shifting to high fat brought a lot of relief to the GI issues I was experiencing as well as helping me mentally. I too wrestled with anorexia for many years and so really, really appreciate how you approach the mental aspect of the relationship with food, body image, and health.

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I’ve been struggling with several health conditions for over 10+ years and I’m only 28. This last year has been particularly tough as my husband and I began unsuccessful fertility treatments and I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. I was in a very bad place at the end of 2017 mentally, physically, and emotionally. I turned to keto under your support and for the first time in a year, I could get out of bed. It was your support through your podcast and the resources you provide us that has given me the strength to stand up for myself and love myself again. You have given me the courage to start my own blog and share my story, something I thought I would never, ever have the guts to do. I just want to thank you for showing such strength and reminding me that I have the power over my thoughts and feelings about myself.

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Leanne Vogel has experienced success in using her recipes and keto-based diet. It works with her lifestyle but there are no assurances or representations of any kind made by Leanne Vogel or Healthful Pursuit Inc. that you will attain any success in using the same recipes or adopting a keto-based diet. Healthful Pursuit provides information in respect to healthy living, recipes, nutrition, and diet and is intended for informational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment nor is it to be construed as such. We cannot guarantee that the information provided by Healthful Pursuit reflects the most up-to-date medical research. Information is provided without any representations or warranties of any kind. Please consult a qualified physician for medical advice, and always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health and nutrition program.